Correction: San Diego City Council did not vote to raise water rates Tuesday. It voted to send out a public notice and set a public hearing on a potential water rate increase. This story has been corrected.
The San Diego City Council has unanimously voted to set a public hearing to discuss the potential of a water rate hike.
In May, the San Diego County Water Authority proposed increasing its rates by about 5% for treated water and nearly 4% for untreated water, citing inflation, increased energy costs and rate hikes set by the Southern California Metropolitan Water District
The city has said it would not pass on more than 3% of cost increases to customers.
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Last fall, the city council approved a 3% rate hike to cover a "pass-through" charge from the Water Authority. That first hike took effect at the beginning of 2022, and come January 2023, the latest hike will take effect.
San Diego imports as much as 90% of its water and the bulk of it is purchased from the Water Authority.
